This invention relates to a vehicle beam lamp, particularly an additional automobile headlamp, of a type comprising a housing, a reflector, a cover plate connected to the reflector, and a frame for fastening the cover plate and reflector to the housing.
This invention further relates to a procedure for mounting such a vehicle beam lamp, comprising the housing, the reflector, the cover plate, and the frame connecting the reflector and cover plate, to the housing.
Each of German patent documents DE 40 01 967 C1 and DE 41 28 534 C1 discloses a vehicle beam lamp wherein a reflector and cover plate are glued together. A frame is slipped over the cover plate, which cover plate must have an edge bent outward as a stop surface. The frame and cover plate with the reflector are then mounted onto the housing, with the frame being screwed to the housing. On the one hand, a relatively wide frame, transverse to an optical axis, is needed for this purpose, and on the other hand, when a bulb located in the reflector is being changed, the cover plate can slip out of the frame and become damaged.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide such a vehicle beam lamp with the frame having only a narrow visible front surface, transverse to the optical axis, and being easily and securely mountable.
A disadvantage of known procedures for mounting such a known vehicle beam lamp is that the reflector, with the cover plate glued to the reflector, and the frame that connects the reflector and cover plate to the housing, must be mounted on the housing as separate parts or parts only loosely connected together, and then be releasably connected to it. The disadvantage of this is that each of the reflector, with the cover plate, and the frame must be aligned with respect to the housing. Furthermore, the parts must be aligned every time a bulb is changed.
Therefore it is a further object of this invention to improve the procedure so that it can be performed more simply and more inexpensively.